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Show [46] [47] parliament never would, nor could, by colour of that claufe in the charter, af- the lame meaning here and in the Colo» nies. By taxes they mean internal taxes; by duties they mean cultoms; thefe are fume a right of taxing them, till it had. qualified itfelf to exercife fuch right, by admitting reprefentatives from the people their ideas of the language. (L Have you not feen the refolutions of to be taxed, who ought to make a part of the Mallachufet's Bay allembly? that common confent. A. I have. Q Do they not fay, that neither eXternal nor internal taxes can be laid on them by parliament P CL Are there any words in the charter that juflify that conltrué‘tion P A. The common rights ofEnglifhmen, as declared by Magna Charta, and the pe- A. I don't know that they do; I be- lieve not. tition of right, alljuftify it. (L Does the diftinétion between in-- ternal and external taxes exift in the words of the charter ? A. No, Ibelieve not. (L Then may they not, by the fame interpretation, object to the parliament's right of external taxation ? A. They never have hitherto. Many arguments have been lately ufed here to thew them that there is no difference, and that if you have no right to taX them in- ternally, you have none to tax them ex- ternally, or make any other law to bind them. At prefent they do not reafon {0, but in time they may pollibly be convinced by thefe arguments. (L Do not the refolutions of the Pennfylvania aflbmbly fay all taxes .9 A. If they do, they mean only internal taxes; the fame words have not always the Q If the fame Colony fhould fay neither tax nor impofition could be laid, does not that province hold the power of parliament can lay neither? A. I fuppofe that by the word impoli- tion, they do not intend to exprefs duties to be laid on goods imported, as regula~ tions of commerce. (L What can the Colonies mean then by impofition as cliftinét from taxes P A. They may mean many things, as imprefling of men, or of carriages, quar- tering troops on private houfes, and the like; there may be great impolitions that are not properly taxes. Q. Is not the pol't-oflice rate an inter- nal tax laid by aft of parliament? A. I have anfwered that. Q. Are all parts of the Colonies equally able to pay taxes P A. No- |
